Report: Ferrari Working On Vertical Door Beyond Gullwing Concept

Mercedes-Benz just came back with the gullwing door for its uber-coupe, the SLS AMG. But Ferrari may have a special ace up its sleeve if the latest leaked patent drawings are any indication.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you: that is an Aston Martin DB7 wearing the novel door concept. But that's just one example of corporate subterfuge, apparently.

The door itself looks to hinge at the roof line, rather than in the middle of the roof like a traditional gullwing. Further, it incorporates a portion of the front fender into the door panel itself. What reason Ferrari might have for wanting to do that last maneuver is anyone's guess.

It's also pretty clear that the door looks rather awkward, even when closed, on the example shown, so it's most likely a concept to be applied to a much differently-shaped car, perhaps a next-gen Enzo or, in the case of a front-engined car like the DB7, a successor to the 599 GTB or 612 Scaglietti.

Advantages to the somewhat wonky design? Apparently, cost and ease of manufacture. And regular, side-opening doors are expensive and hard to make? Ahh, supercars. The less sense they make, the more we love them.